Toy signal device



Oct. 25, L949. E. P. LEPPER 2,486,2

TOY, ,SIGBAL DEVICE I Filed Oct. 16, 1948 Patented Oct. 25, 1949 UNl??TED'- AT ENT OFFICE 2,486,299. 'roi? SIGNAL DEVICE Edwin P; Lepper,Springfield; Mass: Application October 16, 1948;'Serial'1o. 42911 1Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in a 'toy and-is directedrrfoieparticulairlyto the-provision of a novel signallin'g 'rr'ieansfortoy'trains of the mechanical type;

It is the principle-object of my invention to provide anovel andimproved electrical signal construction for 'use-in' connection with toytrains or the like of the mechaifical type wherein electricalcircuits'by means oi'whi'ch an electrical signal device might beemployed areotherwise non-existent; m other-word's; in'mechanical trainsets,- where electricity "isno't usei l, it has not been heretoforepossible 'to--'i-nclude therein electrically operated signallingdevices" or other items of equipment Such as semaphoresignals,roadcrossover guards and the like which c'o'uldbe operated by means ofelectricity just as in thecase of electrically operated train 'sets.Thatis'to say, the element of automaticoperation, attendant with so'many items" of aneIectricalIy' operated train set has up to now beenobviously rmissing in the case of such items'when used in mechanicaltrain sets.

Vlfiththe above primary object in view; it'is It is a still furtherobject of my invention to provide a device which is constructed ofrelatively simple parts which are adapted to he readily assembled andwhich whenmnce assembled are positively and securely retained-inoperative relationship-and which cannot be readily separated from eachother, either accidentally or otherwise.

With theforegoingandwarioii other novel features andadvantages and-otherobjects-of my invention as will become more aparent as the descriptionproceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features ofconstruction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will behereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexedand more fully described and referred to in connection with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the operating member of the device of myinvention in association with toy railroad tracks;

Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the operating member shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevational view along the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of one form of a signal member of thedevice of my invention with certain"parts broke" away for purposes" ofclearrfess;

Pig: '5 a sectionai eievatioi1'al view'bn the use 5-5 of Fig. 1; and a LFig: 6" a" wiringdiagram to explain the invention. A V A Intheabovementioned-drawings anexedh'ereto' and forming a p'a rt 'ofthis'specificatiori; Ihav'e shown but 'dne eintbdiinem of my invention whichis deemed preferable, but it b e'iunder'stobd that changesandmodifieati-s may be" made within the scope of the appended claim without departingrrom-tnespirit or thefinventionf Referring now" to-thWi'fEerentdrawings" more in detail, in which similarcharacters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in ail'the'fi'gure's' and "referring meiepartieuiar1y; to-the preferred form of my invention selected forillustrative pure poses, I hevashewna section of toy railroad tracks ofthe coh'veiitionaifde'sig'n andfhavinga' pair of rails "I ll secured to''spaced:crosssleepers or ties'l Zivith connectorsll fixed to the railsat one end of the sectionfand sleeves I 6 formed from the rails at 'the'oppositefend 'of tiresection"; all is wennown inthe t'oy-"artf A supportzwwmch may be? made from any insulation materialiha'sjdispbsed' on theunderside thereof a 'strip' member 2 nxec-theret bymeans o'i' a rivet240'1 the lik ei The 'opp'osite ends'of the member 22 has upwardlyandiinwardlyex tending' eiidportion's"or" cars 26 adaptedto'erhbracethesidesof 'the member 2Q a'nd th'e' fi anges ll of the railslll 'andPtofholH the support snugly fast thereto when 'in' operatingrelationship.

central-1y dispcsseir uponfitheripper surface" of the member2lljisacontact member 30' whi'clz't is fixed *toth'e" support ZW'bymeans of rivetsiiz.- Upwardlyextending from the contact member atopposite sides thereof arerigid" contact members 34 and 34 and these areangularly disposed so as to have free ends which converge toward but donot touch each other upwardly of and above the upper surface of themember 20.

An upwardly extending flexible contact member 36 is fixed at one end tothe underside of the member 20 and extends upwardly through an openingtherein. The free extremity of the memher 36 is disposed between theconverging free 5 ends of the members 34 and 34.

Being flexible, the free end of the member 36 is adapted to moveforwardly and rearwardly so that it contacts the end portions of themembers fi l and 34 in successive movements.

A connecting member 40 is fixed to the under side of the member 20 .bymeans of the rivet 32 and extends outwardly to one side of the member 26and a connecting member A2 is likewise fixed to the underside of themember 29 by means of a rivet 44 and extends outwardly to one side ofthe member 20, all as is shown in Fig. 2.

The flexible contact member 39, may, if de sired, be fixed to the underside of the support 20 by gripping the end thereof between the members28 and 42 substantially as shown in Fig. 2.

The signal member of the device of my invention is shown as a gradecrossing signal in Fig. e although it will be understood that any typeof signal device may be employed herewith.

For purposes of illustration, I have shown a grade crossing signalhaving a base 50, a post 52 upwardly extending from the base, and a pairof cross arms 54 arranged at the top of the post in the Well knownmanner.

The base 59 carries a terminal 69 to which a connection 62 may be fixedand a terminal 6 3 is likewise carried by the base but is separatedtherefrom by an insulated block 66. A connection 68 is fixed to theterminal 64.

A contact '19 is held at one of its ends in pivoted relation with theterminal 94 and it has an opposite free end which may be engaged toembrace the under side of a battery 80 located within the post 52 asshown in Fig. 4. In the form shown two batteries are employed.

A light 82 is fixed in the top of the post 52 in the well known manner.

The opposite ends of the connections 52 and 68 described above areconnected to the connecting members 40 and 42 respectively as will beobserved in Fig. 2.

An electrical circuit is now provided wherein when a contact is providedbetween one of the rigid contacts as and the flexible contact 39 thecircuit extends from one of said rigid contacts 35 through the member 30and the connecting member 42 through the connection 68 and the contact2'9 to the batteries 89 and the light 82 and is completed through thepost 52 and the base 59 and the terminal 60 and thence through theconnection 62 to the member All and the member 30.

It is understood of course that a buzzer or flag device can besubstituted for the light as a signal means without departing from thespirit and scope of my invention.

The upwardly extending flexible contact member 36 may be varied in itslength for various reasons as will shortly be observed.

As the train passes along the rails, the axles of the trains actuate themember 36 and urge it toward one or the other of the end portions 34,depending of course upon the direction of the train. As the train movesforwardly the member 36 is held against the end portion 34 until theaxle slips over the member 36 so as to release the latter whereupon themember 36 swings in an opposite direction to the other or opposite endportion 34 thereby establishing another contact.

The member 36, being so flexed, swings backwardly and forwardly untilsuch springability explres.

As successive axles pass over the device, successive series of suchcontacts are created.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely asbeing illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of theinvention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by theforegoin description, and all modifications and variations as fallwithin the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appendedclaim are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

A switch device for an electrical circuit adapted for securement to therails of a toy train system comprising in combination, a support formedfrom insulating material adapted to underlie the rails having acentrally disposed slot therethrough, means for securing said support tothe underside of the rails, a connecting member on the underside of saidsupport and a contact mem-- ber on the upper side of said support fixedthereto by a member extending therethrough and electrically connectingthe same, a second connecting member on the underside of said supportand fixed thereto, and a flexible contact member having a lower endfixed to said second connecting member and an upper free end extendingupwardly through the slot and being adapted to flex forwardly andrearwardly transversely of said support and longitudinally of the rails,said contact member having separate spaced contact portions disposed onopposite sides of and spaced away from said flexible contact members andadapted to be engaged thereby.

EDWIN P. LEPPER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

